CD

Hailing from the Czech Republic, SCABBARD began their Old
School Death Metal raid in 1992. With brutal licks and powerful
precision, these titans' oeuvres will quench even the appetite of
the most elite old school maniac. Nonsense War, originally
released in 1993, this merciless demo will be seeing combat
again with a completely new cover design and bonus material
from 1994’s Better to Die.

Hailing from the Czech Republic, SCABBARD began their Old
School Death Metal raid in 1992. With brutal licks and powerful
precision, these titans' oeuvres will quench even the appetite of
the most elite old school maniac. Beginning of Extinction,
originally released in 1996, this whiplash annihilation of a full-length
will officially be resurrected with completely new layout
design.

After releasing the debut album from his Serment project earlier this year, Moribond is back with something completely different, namely his ambient project Oublieth. Falling somewhere in-between what some would call dungeon synth and the much more cinematographic scopes of artists like Tangerine Dream, Vangelis and Klaus Schulz, Oublieth draws its inspiration in classic 70’s and 80’s fantasy themes, as evidenced by a recording done entirely with analog synthesizers as well as the stunning cover art by renowned Dungeons and Dragons and Ravenloft artist Stephen Fabian. This enthralling ambient journey is strictly limited to 500 copies…

This Black Metal masterpiece has now been remastered by Dan Swanö (Edge Of Sanity, Bloodbath, Nightingale etc.)

The legendary Slow Death recordings from Mortem, fully re-recorded and reworked (including extra tracks), plus the original 1989 demo.

Presented on double CD, the release also includes an extended biography on the history of the band, plus rare and unseen images.

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Before Arcturus there was Mortem. Originally comprised of members now known from such classic bands as Arcturus, Mayhem & Thorns, Mortem was a leading act of the early Norwegian underground metal scene; their ‘Slow Death’ demo a highly inspirational work of early Norwegian extreme metal.

Formed by Marius Vold & Steinar Sverd Johnsen in 1989, Mortem was one of the first black metal bands to crawl out of the woodwork in Norway, releasing the highly coveted and brutal ‘Slow Death’ demo, with Euronymous & Dead of Mayhem acting as producer and cover artist respectively. After the release of ‘Slow Death’, the band was laid to rest with members going on to form and feature in acclaimed titans such as Arcturus and Thorns, both of which would become mainstays in the black metal scene and beyond.

This special release of ‘Slow Death’ contains the tracks newly recorded and reworked in a style more akin to the recent ‘Ravnsvart’ album material, plus also includes the legendary pioneering 1989 demo itself, with a fresh transfer from a new tape source. The new recordings also include a rendition of the old Mortem track ‘Satanas’, plus a cover of ‘Likferd’ (Funeral Fog) by Mayhem, this time sung in Norwegian. Joining the original line-up of Marius, Steinar & Hellhammer is Tor Seidemann of 1349 on bass guitar.

CD in deluxe Digipak with 8-page booklet

There are few funeral doom bands out there that manage to express sorrow and despair in such a majestic and beautiful manner as SHAPE OF DESPAIR. The Finns’ latest full-length is a product of their environment, enveloping the listener in cold, eternal darkness like a lonely Finnish winter. And much like the long, funereal winters of their homeland, the atmosphere in ‘Return to the Void’ is bleak but ethereal. The funeral doom icons do not merely offer a soundtrack to one’s agony, but also demonstrate the beauty that can often be found in misery.

For fans of FUNERAL, MOURNFUL CONGREGATION, BELL WITCH, AHAB, EVOKEN.

Mark Deeks, who earned his PhD in Philosophy on the topic of "National Identity in Northern and Eastern European Heavy Metal", is also a member of leading UK black metal stalwarts WINTERFYLLETH and keeps himself busy as a musical director, arranger, piano coach, and conductor as well as a best selling author. On "Take Up My Bones", Mark is supported by WOLCENSMEN mastermind Dan Capp on guitars and backing vocals. He is also joined by ATAVIST drummer Callum Cox, and a spellbinding performance from cellist Jo Quail (MY DYING BRIDE et al.) delivers the coup de grace